“ obviously, with the internet and social media, that’ s totally changed. the consumer has so much more power today than he ever had before, and he can go anywhere at any time for any information.”
budget, time, capacity and other resources must align in order for any decision or investment to be made. If your brand can become top of mind, you’ ll be the first solution or partner that your audience thinks of when it finally is time to make a decision— and that’ s incredibly powerful.
P: In the book, Top of Mind, Hall explains that consumer needs have shifted. How does this change affect the marketing landscape today? O: In the past, marketers basically drove the entire conversation with audiences and potential customers. Obviously, with the internet and social media, that’ s totally changed. The consumer has so much more power today than he ever had before, and he can go anywhere at any time for any information. That’ s changed a lot of the marketing landscape today, and it’ s put a lot of pressure on brands to create high-quality content that engages those consumers when they’ re looking for answers to their questions and solutions to meet their needs.
P: Remaining“ top of mind” goes beyond constantly posting on social media. How does content marketing help create a more influential and established brand? O: One of the elements we touch on in the book is remaining top of mind in the right way. So, you could be top of mind with your audience by constantly posting on social— but will you come to mind in the right way, as a brand that provides actual value? Not necessarily. That’ s what makes content marketing so important. When you commit to the investment of time and money to actually do content marketing right, you end up with engaging, high-quality content that answers people’ s questions, entertains them, offers value, and positions you as a trusted expert in your space.
P: Why do you think people can be overwhelmed by content marketing, and how can they overcome it? O: Content marketing is made up of a lot of moving parts. From bylined content in online publications to educational blog posts to interactive downloads to ongoing email engagement and social media to the comprehensive documented strategy that guides it all, content is a lot to manage. I get that feeling of it seeming overwhelming and chaotic. My advice is to dedicate a team to it. Whether that’ s a team you build in-house or an agency that you outsource to, you need a team to lay out your goals, determine metrics, and actually produce, distribute and analyze your content if you want to see impressive results.
P: How does content marketing establish relationships within an industry? O: You can’ t personally have face-to-face meetings with every person in your network or in your brand’ s audience. It just isn’ t possible. But thanks to content, you don’ t have to forgo valuable relationships. By creating content that comes from you and distributing it to the right audiences at the right times, you can connect on an authentic, helpful level with people in your industry. And when you do that consistently enough and hit those touchpoints over time, you can build and strengthen relationships within your industry.
P: How can a reader use your book to establish himself as a leader in his chosen field? O: Establishing yourself as a leader in your field requires a combination of a few things: your expertise, your authenticity and helpfulness, your relationships with others in your space, and your commitment to consistently carry out these practices. Sure, each of these things can be practiced on an individual level. But you can scale them to reach even bigger audiences through content. And that’ s exactly what is shared in Top of Mind: how to build better relationships and scale them through content. That’ s how you can position yourself as a leader; we know because that’ s how we’ ve done it for our clients and seen countless others do it, too. n
September 2017 ■ PULSE 65